Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Debt of the Heart. Am I Such a Bad Person? Nan Shu stirred the latte art with her spoon, occasionally glancing at Liang Xubai's back by the window. Liang Xubai had been on the phone for a long time, his expression grave. The hope that had just begun to rise in Nan Shu's heart was doused once again. She set down her spoon and stood up, intending to tell him that if his friend didn't have a suitable place either, it was fine—she would search online again. Nan Shu had barely taken a few steps from her seat when Liang Xubai hung up and walked toward her. "Nannan, I asked around for you. My friend has a great place—and the price he's giving is very low." "Really?" For the first time in days, a smile appeared on Nan Shu's face. Liang Xubai patted her shoulder. "Of course. Are you free tomorrow? I'll go with you to take a look." Nan Shu said, "No need to trouble yourself, Xubai-ge. Just send me your friend's WeChat, and I'll handle it myself." Liang Xubai smiled. "It's no trouble. I happen to be off tomorrow anyway, and I can catch up with my friend while I'm at it." Nan Shu nodded gratefully. "Alright then, thank you, Xubai-ge!" She then asked, "Oh, by the way, which neighborhood is it?" "Jingyuan Huating." "Jingyuan Huating?!" Nan Shu's mouth fell slightly open, unable to hide her surprise. Jingyuan Huating was located in the heart of Jingjia's downtown core. Nan Shu had once looked up property prices online to motivate herself to work harder, and she'd stumbled upon this neighborhood's prices—they had left her utterly stunned. "Wouldn't renting there be pretty expensive?" she voiced her concern. Just then, Liang Xubai received a message from Zong Yi and forwarded it to Nan Shu. "It's not expensive. Take a look first." Nan Shu tapped open the chat window. Her eyes scanned down line by line until they reached the rent at the very bottom. ??? "The price... eight thousand a year?" Just one simple, blunt number—no deposit, no pay-three-months-upfront clause. Nan Shu looked up, bewildered. "Did your friend accidentally leave off a zero?" Or maybe something had happened in that place that wasn't exactly easy to talk about... Nan Shu's mind drifted to certain chilling scenarios. Liang Xubai chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, the place is definitely fine. It just so happens my friend has an empty unit on hand. He said since it's sitting vacant anyway and you happen to need a place, he'd rent it to you cheap." If it weren't for the fact that this person was Liang Xubai's friend, Nan Shu would have suspected this was some kind of scam. With that major worry off her mind, Nan Shu felt a weight lift. "Xubai-ge, please make sure to thank your friend properly for me." "And of course, thank you so, so, so much!" • Jingyuan Huating was a Suzhou-style garden community. Century-old plane trees wound their way through the grounds, pale pink roses climbed the building walls, and the atmosphere was serene and elegant. As Nan Shu set foot in the place, she couldn't help but doubt it again. This really isn't a scam, is it? The entire apartment-viewing process went smoothly. The unit had a prime location, excellent natural light, and a simple yet refined interior style that suited Nan Shu's tastes perfectly. Midway through, Liang Xubai glanced at his phone and said to Nan Shu, "My friend's here." The two walked to the elevator by the entrance. The moment the doors slid open, Nan Shu blurted out the person's name. "Zong Yi?" Liang Xubai was surprised. "You two know each other?" Nan Shu tugged at the hem of her clothes, looking a bit uneasy. "We were in the same year." Back then, Jingjia No. 1 High School had two legendary figures: Xie Zeyan, cold and aloof with an air of arrogance, and Zong Yi, wild and rakishly handsome. Nan Shu had known of Zong Yi even earlier, and the main reason was that Zong Yi was Xie Zeyan's best brother. In those years when her gaze followed Xie Zeyan, she would always see Zong Yi by his side. Zong Yi was just as full of roguish charm as he'd been back then. He curved his lips into a grin. "Nan Shu, long time no see." He looked at her, remembering how last night, upon hearing that name, Xie Zeyan had dropped his usual "couldn't-care-less" attitude and started going through the properties under his name. In the end, he'd carefully selected one—the best environment, the most suitable size—and rented it out at the absurd price of eight thousand a year. More importantly, Xie Zeyan had told him not to mention his name at all, to say it was Zong Yi's own property. Zong Yi had been baffled at the time. "Not to be rude, Yan-ge, but what are you getting out of this?" Xie Zeyan shot back, "Do I have to be getting something?" Zong Yi said, "If you're not getting anything, then that's an even bigger problem." Xie Zeyan said, "Didn't you say she was a classmate from before? You two were in the student council together? What's wrong with helping out a classmate?" Zong Yi looked at him like he'd just witnessed something unheard of. "If anyone else said that, I'd believe it. But you? Being this kind-hearted?" Xie Zeyan drawled lazily, "Am I such a bad person?" Zong Yi laughed without stopping, reaching out to nudge Xie Zeyan's arm. "Yan-ge, just be honest—did you rack up a debt of the heart with that girl?" Xie Zeyan let out a scoff. "I wasn't aware I owed any debts of the heart." Zong Yi counted on his fingers. "Look, just from all the girls you rejected in high school alone, you've already racked up plenty." Xie Zeyan clearly didn't want to keep arguing with Zong Yi about this matter, so he redirected the conversation back to the apartment rental. "I'll send you the contract later." ... Although Xie Zeyan flatly denied it, Zong Yi still wanted to test Nan Shu when signing the rental contract. "Classmate Nan Shu, do you remember how we were both in the student council together in high school?" Nan Shu was signing her name and responded without looking up, "Mm-hmm, I remember." Zong Yi probed further, "Then... do you remember Xie Zeyan? He was there too." Nan Shu's hand holding the pen paused, the tip bleeding a blot of ink onto the paper. She steadied her slightly flustered breathing and replied calmly, "I remember him too." There didn't seem to be anything unusual. Zong Yi studied Nan Shu's expression. Could it really be that Xie Zeyan was just helping out of convenience? • Jingjia saw frequent rain in September, so Nan Shu took advantage of the clear weather and chose to move two days later. The whole process went smoothly. Zong Yi had thought of everything and even specially arranged a moving company for her. Nan Shu didn't have much luggage to begin with. She had packed three suitcases and two cardboard boxes in advance, and the movers carried everything into Jingyuan Huating in an orderly manner. By the afternoon, all of Nan Shu's belongings had been moved in. The apartment at Jingyuan Huating was spacious—three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Nan Shu even felt that living there with just her and Huituichang made the place feel far too empty. She was still unpacking when Sister Fu messaged her, asking her to come to the company. The new apartment was very close to the agency, so Nan Shu took a cab and arrived in just a few minutes. Sister Fu was a woman in her forties with a neat, short haircut. She handed Nan Shu a contract. The moment Nan Shu took it, she spotted the official seal of Mingyu Group on the party-A section. After signing the contract, Nan Shu asked Sister Fu, "I remember this charity project has a promotional ambassador, right?" She regularly participated in rescue activities for stray cats and dogs, so she had naturally heard of Mingyu's project. It was a nationwide charity initiative led by Mingyu Group, with stray animal rescue centers across the country participating. Apparently, Mingyu invested hundreds of millions into this project every year. Sister Fu said, "Yes, but the previous ambassador for this project got exposed in a scandal, and the partners requested a replacement." Mingyu had expressed a desire for a truly compassionate spokesperson who could actively participate in rescuing stray cats and dogs. Sister Fu felt that no one was more suitable than Nan Shu. Nan Shu hadn't expected that someone at her level of fame could even get access to a Mingyu project. Sister Fu was her agent and managed several celebrities under her wing, including a rising star in the entertainment industry. But Sister Fu never treated anyone differently based on their level of fame. It was nearly dusk when she left the company. The summer sunset painted the horizon in warm hues. Nan Shu pulled out her phone from her bag and sent a message to Liang Jiayi. Nan Shu: [Free?] Liang Jiayi: [Meet!] Nan Shu took a cab to a French restaurant near Liang Jiayi's company. By the time Liang Jiayi arrived, the last dish had just been served. Liang Jiayi cut off a small piece of black pepper steak and brought it to her mouth. "So my brother told me your apartment situation is all sorted, and the landlord turned out to be Zong Yi. So is this meal to celebrate your housewarming?" "And there's some good news too." Nan Shu told her about the charity project. Liang Jiayi said, "I heard from a colleague working on this project that the previous female celebrity was a total diva—uncooperative during filming and even complained that the cats and dogs were dirty. I think it's about time they replaced her! Good riddance! Oh, by the way, does that mean you'll need to film a promotional video?" "Yeah," Nan Shu took a bite of the berry-glazed pan-seared foie gras, "this weekend, two days in Hushi." Liang Jiayi put down her fork and rested her chin on the back of her hand. "Nannan, let me tell you—ever since our CEO came back from abroad, the company has been restructured in so many ways. I feel like things are really thriving. The project you just signed was also established by him while he was overseas." This wasn't the first time Nan Shu had heard Liang Jiayi talk about the company's new CEO. From the few snippets she'd gathered, Nan Shu had formed a pretty good impression of the man. He definitely didn't seem like the type of evil capitalist who only knew how to exploit his employees. Remembering how Liang Jiayi had mentioned that the new CEO was very handsome, she asked one more question: "Have you met your new CEO yet?" Liang Jiayi said, "Not yet. I was supposed to attend the welcome banquet for the new CEO on behalf of my department next Friday, but something came up with the project I was handling, so I have to go on a business trip next week." "Speaking of business trips," Liang Jiayi flashed a mischievous grin, "what about Huituichang when you go on yours in a couple of days? Are you asking Xie Zeyan again?" Nan Shu was drinking juice when Liang Jiayi suddenly brought up Xie Zeyan out of nowhere, and she nearly choked. "No, no. This time I'm only away for two days. Huituichang can just stay home by himself." She had noticed that Xie Zeyan had other side gigs besides dog-walking, and besides, this trip was only two days. She didn't feel comfortable troubling him. Liang Jiayi wore an expression that said "you're not playing this right." "If I were you, I'd use the dog-walking as an excuse to get closer to Xie Zeyan. Honestly, after all these years, Xie Zeyan is the most perfect man I've ever met." Nan Shu silently finished the last bite on her plate without saying a word. After the meal, the two linked arms and walked out of the restaurant. It was early evening, and the sunset clouds painted the sky in sweeping hues. In the distance, the silhouette of the Ferris wheel was frozen against the orange-pink canopy of the heavens. From afar, Nan Shu and Liang Jiayi noticed a little girl with braided pigtails by the roadside. The girl looked young—at most five or six years old—and her dress was washed-out with age. At her feet was a bamboo basket filled with wrapped fresh flowers, small bouquets, so pretty they caught the eye. As Nan Shu and Liang Jiayi approached, the little girl looked up at them shyly and asked in a small voice, "Pretty sisters, would you like to buy some flowers? Five yuan a bunch." "Sure," Nan Shu said, curving her eyes into a smile as she picked out a bunch of champagne roses from the basket. Liang Jiayi chose a bunch of violets and asked the girl, "Sweetie, why are you here all alone?" The little girl pointed to a hospital up ahead. "My dad is sick and in the hospital, so my mom and I came out to sell flowers to earn money." The moment she finished speaking, Nan Shu and Liang Jiayi exchanged a glance, both eyes filled with unspeakable sympathy. The two scanned the payment code in the girl's basket. Immediately after, the phone in the girl's pocket rang twice—"Alipay, received 500 yuan." Hearing this, the girl frantically pulled out her phone. It was an old model, the kind with physical buttons. "Sisters, five hundred yuan is too much." Nan Shu bent down and gently patted the girl's head, saying softly, "We didn't overpay, because we both think this bouquet is beautiful—it's worth five hundred yuan." "But..." The girl struggled to lift the flower basket and pushed it toward Nan Shu. "Sister, then can I give you all these flowers?" Nan Shu set the basket back on the ground and shook her head with a smile. "Your flowers are so beautiful, I'm sure other people will like them too. If you give them all to us, won't they miss out?" The girl nodded. Liang Jiayi said, "Sweetheart, can we add your contact info?" The girl obediently handed over her phone, and Liang Jiayi saved both her and Nan Shu's numbers into it. "Our numbers are saved in your phone now. We really like you—will you keep in touch with us?" "Okay." When the girl smiled, two adorable little fangs peeked out. Before they left, she pulled two stems of chamomile from her basket and pressed them into their hands. "Pretty sisters, these two flowers are for you!" ... "Boss?" Cheng Kai followed Xie Zeyan's gaze and saw the backs of two girls walking away, each holding flowers in their arms. Only after their figures disappeared from view did Xie Zeyan walk over to the little flower girl. Xie Zeyan carried an air of refined nobility, and his expensive suit only made him seem more untouchable. When the girl saw him, she timidly stepped back half a pace, not daring to ask if he wanted to buy flowers—just watching him with her eyes darting around. "Little one, I'll take all of these flowers." Xie Zeyan crouched down. Lately, Cheng Kai had often seen warmth on his boss's cold, roguish face. It seemed to have started ever since his boss returned from abroad and took in a dog. Xie Zeyan took the flowers from the girl's hands. Back in the car, he said to Cheng Kai, "Look into that kid's information." "Boss, are you planning to sponsor her?" Xie Zeyan closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temple. "Yes." • The next morning, Nan Shu received the flight information from Sister Fu. The company had arranged the earliest flight on Saturday for her. Before she knew it, Friday evening arrived. Nan Shu was packing her luggage in the walk-in closet when a white streak shot across the air and landed squarely in her suitcase. Nan Shu smiled helplessly. "Mommy's going on a business trip, so I can't bring Huituichang along. Huituichang needs to be a good boy and stay home these two days." Huituichang's paws clawed at the suitcase, refusing to let go. Nan Shu had no choice but to set down the clothes in her hands, pick Huituichang up from the suitcase, and place him at the door. "Be good, go play by yourself." Huituichang gave up, proudly turning his head away, then trotted off toward Nan Shu's room. Remembering that her phone and tablet were on the small sofa, Nan Shu called out loudly in the direction Huituichang had gone: "Don't touch Mommy's phone!" • When the phone rang, Xie Zeyan was just stepping out of the bathroom. Water still dripped from the tips of his hair, beads rolling down one by one, tracing past his Adam's apple and over his solid chest. He walked to the study, and the phone screen lit up with a line of text. —【Nannan is inviting you to a video call】 A ripple stirred in his calm eyes, and the corner of Xie Zeyan's mouth lifted slightly. Calling him this late—she must have something important, right? His Adam's apple bobbed subtly as he pressed the answer button. But the other end of the camera was pitch black. "Nan Shu?" What answered him was a long, long silence. He was about to speak again when three crisp barks suddenly came through the receiver— "Woof! Woof! Woof!"